


Beholden

by PatchworkIdeas



Series: WinterFRE 2020 [23]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Not Related, Government Agencies, Happy Ending, M/M, Military Operations, Near Death, Telepathic Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:22:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22943236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PatchworkIdeas/pseuds/PatchworkIdeas
Summary: Sometimes the deepest bonds are born in the harshest of circumstances.
Relationships: Fíli/Kíli (Tolkien)
Series: WinterFRE 2020 [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604650
Comments: 33
Kudos: 44
Collections: GatheringFiKi - Winter FRE 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Linane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linane/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Prompt Nr.14:  
> The magic flowed through his veins
> 
> This story is inspired by [Linane's](https://linane-art.tumblr.com/) gorgeous Photoset and Drabble for the same prompt - which can be found [here](https://linane-art.tumblr.com/post/611046841477480448/prompt-14-the-magic-flowed-through-his-veins).
> 
> Please, please look at it and enjoy it and shower her in love for that amazing work!
> 
> I wrote this to come after her scene, though I didn't adhere exactly to what she was going for - the story just ran away with me, insisting to be written this way.  
> It's complete, I just need to polish up the rest of the Chapters for posting.
> 
> Big, big thanks and giant hugs to Linane for letting me play with this world - it was an incredible experience!

“Easy.”

The calm voice was the first thing Kili heard.  
It didn’t make anything easier.  
The covers were butter soft – but unfamiliar.  
The room was illuminated with a soft light through big windows, showing a beautiful garden outside – which was unfamiliar.  
As was the rest of the tastefully decorated room.  
Or the person with him.

Kili felt his breath speed up at the same time the strange calm came over him again.

This time, he fought it.

He rolled out of the bed, careful not to get tangled in the sheets.  
His eyes frantically searched the room, but found nothing he could use to protect himself.

The magic that had saved his life before was still buzzing through his veins, but it felt sluggish, as if drugged, or half asleep, not awake and raging as he needed it.

He wasn’t safe. Nowhere was safe. He had to leave, now, before they caught up to him, captured him again. How much time did he already lose? How long until they would be here, breaking down the door to drag him out, kicking and screaming, to his and his family's doom? He had to leave, _he had to leave, He Had To-_

A rush of calm almost like a physical force brought him to his knees.  
Kili’s eyes went back to the stranger, almost forgotten because the blond still felt safe. Stupid, stupid, stupid. No one was safe.

The stranger had his hands up in surrender – or to show he wasn’t armed or dangerous, which was clearly a lie – but his eyes were determined, calculating.

Despite that, despite every rational thought screaming against it, the blond still felt safe, instead of like an enemy. Kili couldn’t bring himself to see him any different, so he implored him instead:

“It’s not safe, they will find me, I have to _leave_.” 

The blond blinked at him, hands slowly going down and reaching for him with open palms instead. The calm didn’t leave, didn’t let him get up, but it felt less like a vice and more like an embrace now.

“It’s ok. You are safe. Nothing will hurt you here. I promise. Just calm down.”

Calm down. Calm down as if nothing was wrong. He didn’t get it!

“Nowhere is safe! You have to let me _go._ They will kill us both!”

The stranger stiffened, just a bit, and the calm wavered enough that Kili could finally jump up, madly dashing to the door.

He was tackled sideways, going down hard, before he could open it.

So far to safe, why the hell did this guy still register as safe to him, just fall away from his peripheral? It wasn’t right, he wasn’t safe, but he still felt like it, even as he straddled him, pressed Kili’s hands up against the floor with a strength that Kili hadn’t expected in the small frame.

“You can’t go out there like this.” The guy insisted, blue eyes staring into his, imploring him to listen. “I can protect you, but you have to let me! Let me calm you down, and I will help you.”

It felt earnest, and at least now the calm didn’t feel weaponized anymore, more like a hesitant, feather light touch, waiting for his acceptance. Kili couldn’t, they didn’t have that time.

He didn’t want the stranger to die, and he wanted his own fate even less.

“There is no time! Azog will be here any minute! You can’t save me, _please_ , let me go, I need to _leave_!”

The face above him grew pale at the name, hands slack for just a second, but not enough for Kili to break free. The calm left. The voice was cold now, practical, demanding answers and obviously used to getting them.

“You have Azog the Defiler after you?”

Finally the guy seemed to get it.

“He tried to kidnap me, but something happened, something in me… I think I teleported. But he came after me again. I don’t know how many times I jumped now, but we are running out of time - I don’t know how he tracks me!”

The blond nodded, and ordered: “Remember what happened that first time, think back to it, I will follow along and look for clues. Let me in so I don’t hurt you.”

Kili thought about the hands holding him, and they were gone, set beside his head instead, their foreheads almost touching.  
Never before had Kili seen eyes as blue.  
He thought he could drown in them.

Finding the odd presence in his mind, he let his thoughts go back to that horrible night, the blind ride in the car, the roughness of the henchman, the smells and sounds. The hood was pulled back, the first thing he saw that pale, bald man, the cruelty and glee on the man’s face making him a terrifying sight, even more so than the scars did. He introduced himself as Azog, made it clear that Kili could work with him - or be forced to work with him. No other choice. 

The way the killer had picked up some kind of instrument and nodded to something behind him when Kili refused. The surge of panic, finding the strength born from raw terror to break free of the hands holding him, the sudden roar in his ears, the world turning, fire in his veins. Stumbling out and thinking he was safe only he wasn’t, he wasn’t, he never was, reaching for that feeling again and again and again until his breath felt like ice in his lungs, his limbs like rocks, fragile and about to break, his mind like an angry wasp, buzzing and stinging and tearing him apart, and still Azog followed after, laughing, always laughing, reveling in the hunt. It wasn’t safe, would never be safe, he had to-

The field was white and open and beautiful. There was calm around him, like cotton candy clouds, cradling and protecting him. There was reassurance, an absolute certainty that he was safe and sound, and nothing could hurt him. He felt betrayed for almost a second, until even that faded away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal Note:  
> I just have to say it: I'm really proud of this whole story! _*wiggles happily*_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Prompt Nr.73:  
> The telepathic bond has always been there, ever since they could remember.
> 
> I remembered this prompt while writing and I love these kinds of stories! ❤️  
> I have been trying to write one for it several times now, but never could fit the "ever since they could remember" part in it. But it just fit so, so perfectly here that I couldn't resist! It ended up a bit more than just sharing thoughts, as the way we think and are is so much more than just words, but it will play a big part in this story and I hope the prompter will enjoy it!

There were arms around him when Kili next woke up. There was hard ground, and soft skin, and Kili still felt calm, even though he didn’t want to be.

“He was tracing your magic. As long as you don’t use it, he can’t find you. It was suppressed so that it wouldn’t overwhelm you upon waking, but all your trashing flushed the serum out faster. I’m keeping you calm so you don’t accidentally wake it and bring him to our current location – which is secret and far away from where you last-”

“There’s an open field right there, and who knows how many people saw us enter? An old cabin might be comfy but it’s not _safe._ ” Kili snapped. Being calm didn’t make him stupid.

The blond threw him a droll look, thoroughly unimpressed, before calling out in a sharp voice: “Computer: Shut Down.” 

The cabin disappeared. The window disappeared. There was nothing but concrete walls, the shiny wooden floors now as old and worn as the formerly new furniture.

“You are at Protection and Prevention HQ. Underground. We use holograms to help new Mediums adjust. We would have transferred you to another facility and a different Anchor once you were ready. Nobody knows where this one is. My name is Fili Durin, I’m trained for Crisis Control, and I _can_ and _will_ protect you. Ok?”

Kili looked at Fili for a moment. It was easier to think like this, the calm still keeping him rational, and Kili had to admit that he really didn’t have much other choice. Even if he could make his way outside somehow, Azog would just find him again. His… Anchor, obviously knew what he was doing.  
Perhaps it was time to accept some help.

“Fine.” Kili huffed, “But can you back off a bit? I would like my own emotions back. This is creepy.”

Fili smiled, a tiny thing that was gone almost as soon as it appeared, and pulled a small vial from somewhere.

“Drink this first, it will suppress your magic again.”

The liquid inside looked clear, unremarkable, but Kili still felt queasy, knowingly drinking an unknown drug. A thought hit him and he concentrated on the calm, on the presence, and - yes, far, far away, just barely noticeable even as he looked for it, was more, emotions and thoughts and a whole person. All that made Fili.

This was a two-way street.

His probing earned him a cautious look, Fili obviously wary, but he didn’t rebuke him or keep him out. Kili came just close enough to feel the edges of more, like a stream separating him from the lush but stormy lands beyond. Kili kept his eyes steady on Fili’s, letting the connection between them almost, but not fully, take shape. Kili didn’t speak, but he didn’t need to. The request was clear, not quiet a feeling, not quite a thought, but travelling between all the same. 

‘Proof. Promise. Trust? Both sides.’

The attempt was amateurish perhaps, but Kili knew that Fili had understood him. The calm remained, a fair weather front all around him, but a bridge grew out of the water, inviting him into the lush jungle of Fili’s mind.

The waters churned, however clear the air was, and the ground on the other side throbbed beneath his naked feet, the heartbeat of a strange new land. Kili stayed there, on that bank, toes pushing into the earth, but not moving any farther. Fili had let him in, but now that he was here, Kili could feel discomfort under the calm. He was a stranger in a land that hadn’t been touched in years, as much as it longed for and feared it. The path opening between the vines, just a glimpse, was mesmerizing – but it wasn’t intentional, and Kili hadn’t come here to snoop. Fili’s deeper mindscape was wild, almost overwhelming were it not for the forced calm Fili still held like a bubble of sunshine around him. The emptiness of before was curated – but this was real. This was life and truth and Fili, and Kili felt like he could drown in him, in this feeling of intimacy.

It was so hard not to.

Kili abruptly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and drank the fluid in one go.

He wasn’t sure what exactly he had expected, but Fili had given him more. There was no deceit there. Despite the nature of the jungle, there had been no secrets, nothing truly hidden, just a deeply connected network of vines and memories, trees and values, flowers and emotions.

Fili had known pain, had caused it even, but he held no intention of it for Kili.

They detangled from each other, their minds drifting apart with each inch of distance between them, each skin contact lost.

When they both stood, the space between no more than a feet and yet a canyon, Kili was looking at a stranger that didn’t feel like one.

Fili nodded at him, and Kili had no idea what he thought or felt, but the calm slowly dropped away, bit by bit, until he was alone in his head again, thoughts and feelings only his own and terribly lonely and confused for it.

“I’ll inform my superior, will you be ok until I come back?” 

Kili considered, probing at the tangle of emotions, but the panic seemed to have left, beaten back by the knowledge that Kili now had both a fledgling plan and a trustworthy ally. He nodded.

“Good. I’m going to have to lock you in, for security reasons. Please don’t try to get out. I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring you food and news. Do you want me to turn the hologram back on until then?”

“I think I feel better without it. Just… hurry please?”

Fili nodded, and then he was gone.

Kili sank back onto the bed, holding his head in his hands for a moment, before he gave in and half halfheartedly crawled under the covers. He was exhausted, and he still needed sleep, as foreign as the thought felt in this messed up situation.

It’s not like he could do anything else.


	3. Chapter 3

“Sir, you can’t be serious!”

His superior had lost his mind. 

“I am. This is the best chance we’ve ever had. It would be irresponsible not to use it. Azog obviously wants this ‘Kili’. This might be our only chance to draw him out and take him down.”

“He’s a Medium under our protection! Not bait!“

“What’s _one_ person, compared to the _hundreds_ that Azog has enslaved and the _thousands_ he has killed. You of all people should understand that.” Director Thrandruil collected himself, and obviously considered the topic closed. At seeing Fili’s clenched jaw, he added, “Go back home Fili, you are supposed to be on leave, as much as I appreciate you stepping in when you did. We’ll add another week to it, you have more than earned it. Dismissed.”

Fili breathed, turned around, and did as he was told.

He strode through the nondescript halls, nodded to colleagues, acted as he always did.

Soldiers did what they were told, whether that was right or wrong.

There was a reason Fili had left, and it hadn’t just been his Partners condition.

Of course Thrandruil didn’t know that Fili had allowed Kili in, that was against the rules after all. They were supporters, a temporary tool until the state of the Medium could be assessed and, if applicable, better help could be found.

Fili could accept sacrificing insane, lost Mediums, too far gone into the magic to be brought back, too dangerous to risk anyone else tethering them.

Kili wasn’t insane. Kili was scared, with good reason, and Fili had made a promise.

He wasn’t in the habit of breaking them, consequences be damned.

He opened the door with his key-card, conscious of the fact that it would show up in the system. If he was unlucky, they had around 5 minutes until Elros, the head of security, realized Fili didn’t have clearance anymore. If he was lucky, Elros would get talkative on his break again, or Thrandruil hadn’t send out a memo, certain that his word was law.

Fili strode in, not completely closing the door, just in case, and woke Kili with a concentrated blast of calm at the same time as his hand closed over the Mediums mouth. Brown eyes flew open, attention on Fili, and he let the calm drop the moment he saw recognition in them. He couldn’t afford Kili fighting him on it, and would need his full concentration on his surroundings either way.

“You need to come with me, quiet and without fuss, pretend you can’t talk, like you are drugged and need to be lead.”

Kili’s eyes went wide, and his breathing sped up, but Fili pulled him out of the bed and onto his feet anyway, already on the way out of the room.  
He sent a short concentrated bit of ‘No time, please trust me’ letting his underlying worry and urgency bleed through just enough that Kili could pick up on it through their tether.

Kili all but dropped, leaning against him, before Fili had opened the door.  
He could feel that sharp mind moving, the fear brewing under Kili’s skin, but over all of that was determination, a strong will to survive, and Fili was glad he hadn’t misjudged him.

His grip remained strong on Kili’s upper arm, and the Medium stumbled after him, head down and never saying a word. Fili could see the pitying looks sent his way by friends and people he had worked with for years.  
Nobody liked having to escort a lost one, everyone knew it needed to be done.  
Luckily, the transport to the facility for lost Mediums left from the same place as the employees did. Mediums weren’t imprisoned after all, not if they were sane, so why would anyone ever need to smuggle one out?  
Not to mention the costs for building another exit, just for a tiny security concern.

For once, Fili was glad that nobody had taken his advice on better security seriously.

While stepping through the last door, alone in the corridor, Fili murmured a quick “normal now” and exchanged his grip for a hand on Kili’s back, gently ushering him along.

Kili tripped, but adjusted.

Fili escorted Kili to his car like it was the most normal thing in the world.  
It wasn’t, Mediums didn’t usually leave the facility when awake, but they did occasionally have visitors. At this time of day, the garage was all but empty, and Feren, currently on Camera Duty, hopefully wasn’t looking too close.

When he left the checkpoint five minutes later, he was alone in his car, only some blankets and the like stuffed behind his seat. Fili liked things neat, but he liked to be prepared even more, and Galion was too busy returning his greeting to notice anyway.

Fili took his usual road home, and placed his phone in it’s holder on his dashboard, fiddling with it whenever they had to stop for one of the myriad red lights.

Fili hated his commute and preferred to work long hours, sometimes staying the night, discreetly taking over someone’s night shift.  
He didn’t have anyone waiting for him after all.  
It was a good thing, for once.  
He wouldn’t be seeing his apartment again for quite a while. Maybe never.

Wouldn’t be the first time. He always had anything of importance on him or in his car anyway.

On the third try, Nori finally picked up. 

“I need your help.” Fili rushed out before his old friend could start with his snark. “I have precious cargo, and eyes on my back. Need a route to meeting spot 3B6. Confirm.”

Nori cursed, and Fili could here rummaging and more imaginative swears, before he finally got “You’re clear. Anything else I can help you with, oh golden prince?”

Fili smirked. “Call the Company together. Full force. We are taking down Azog.”

He cut off the spluttering, eyes still on the road and on the lookout for any possible threat. But the worst part was behind them, for now.  
He sent a quick burst of ‘safe’ behind him, accompanied by a verbal, “You ok there?” 

Kili grumbled, his discomfort clear over their tether, but only said: “Peachy. Now what the fuck is going on?”


	4. Chapter 4

Kili was lucky. Always had been.  
Born to the right parents, good at charming everyone he met, able to get out of any and all situations, often on nothing but his wits, just the right smile and puppy dog eyes.

He had been lucky, for his magic to manifest when it did.  
Azog hadn’t expected a Medium, hadn’t planned for it.  
He had been lucky, to be found by Fili, all but crashing into the senior officer of the Medium Bureau.  
He had been lucky, for Fili had both morals and a lot of military and ex-military friends who jumped when he asked, even when he asked them to jump to their death.

Which he essentially was.  
Azog was _deadly._  
There was a reason nobody talked about him, why no one sent team after team after the most dangerous terrorist on the planet, why the public's attention was drawn to scapegoats, leaks and scandals whenever he launched another operation.

Azog had a contingent of Mediums at his back and call, all of them brainwashed or lost, following his commands without thought or reason.  
He had an army. What could a small band of soldiers and ex-soldiers do against that?

But Fili stayed confident, the low thrum of it bleeding through their bond. 

It didn’t feel like that initial calm did. The empty landscape had been designed for his comfort, for making him feel safe - but this felt wild and free and much more alive. If Kili closed his eyes he could almost feel the jungle, just as he could feel Fili just on the edge of his senses, a warm presence in the back of his mind. He wondered what Fili saw when he closed his eyes, but asking about their plans felt like a more pressing topic.

Not that Fili was particularly forthcoming about that.

Apparently his people were collecting all they would need for this quest and they would make plans once they were there.

Kili was skeptic. He was skeptic when they drove into the warehouse. He was skeptic, but impressed, when there turned out to be a hidden tunnel in the warehouse. He was impressed when he saw the amount of screens, computers and boxes full of weapons and ammunition.  
And he was outright in awe when he saw the mountain of take out boxes stacked on a table.

What could he say? Kili was famished, and good planning needed good food.

He helped himself at the first sign he could, but never stopped listening while Fili explained the situation to his men, most of which were apparently stationed all over the world.

Fili had mentioned being ex-military in the car, but this was ridiculous.  
Unfortunately, the following talk about maneuvers and codes went right over Kili’s head. He projected his annoyance to that warm space in his mind, slowly but surely getting used to the odd feeling of never being quiet alone anymore. It should have felt terrifying, and maybe it was, just a little bit, but Kili had used up all his terror during his mad escape from that monster - and Fili’s presence was comforting, soothing, even without him paying Kili much mind at all.

Even now, hours later, Fili hadn’t fully closed their connection, despite his initial discomfort. A part of Kili already hoped he never would. Fili let him check in, reassure himself whenever he wished, and not just for trust issues either.

Fili’s presence was an affectionate hug after a hard day, a warm fire on a cold night, a safe shield when the world and worry got too much.

Kili didn’t want to know what he currently was. He doubted it felt anywhere as nice.

Point was, he trusted Fili, even with the short time they had known each other. As insane as it was. _He trusted him._  
And when Fili took a short break in the planning to take Kili to the side, to urge him to catch some sleep while he could, that he would need it, Kili believed him. 

He still reached out, almost on instinct, when Fili tried to leave him in that tiny nook of a room, boxes stacked against the side of the bed to give the illusion of privacy. 

“You are going to tell me the plan when I wake up, right?”

Fili didn’t need to answer, probably knew that Kili was asking because he needed to ask something, not quite ready to just have him walk away after this tumultuous day.  
But Fili still did, stepping closer and letting their forehead rest against each other,  
letting Kili drown in his eyes, in his presence, in his very being.

They didn’t exchange any words before Fili left to continue planning, but it still felt like the best conversation Kili ever had.

Against all odds, he slept like a stone that night, and woke up rested, the smell of wet leaves, the chirps of animals and the feel of a warm embrace still fresh in his mind.


	5. Chapter 5

They were almost ready when Kili rejoined the living. Fili’s unexpected Partner felt much more refreshed apparently, the once raging sea now a pleasant breeze on a sunny day. Fili mentally nudged him to the bag he had left in front of the bed while Kili slept. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, considering that Kili’s clothes were ripped, dirty, and probably not very comfortable anymore.

He hadn’t expected the effect it would have on him, seeing Kili in his clothes. They were a bit too small, of course, but a part of him was still pleased, purring at the visible declaration.

It was just temporary of course, just practical. It didn’t mean anything. He just hadn’t wanted to spare any men power for something as silly as buying clothes.  
Even if he turned down other offerings for his new Partner, from those who were closer in height.

His men were carefully not looking at Kili, still all to aware of Partner Business, and the dangers of getting caught up in it, after all these years.

Fili’s last Partnership had been long and fruitful, beautiful in it’s simplicity, despite the painful ending.

This was nothing like it.

He shouldn’t be this attached yet.  
He shouldn’t feel as much of Kili’s mind yet.  
He shouldn’t be okay with keeping the tether open 24/7.

But he was. 

Kili was a storm of emotions, of power barely controlled, shaped by a razor sharp wit, like arrows flying and dancing on the wind.

He was life.  
He was energy.  
He was beautiful.

_Shit._

There wasn’t time to consider and ruminate about it, not with the trap almost ready and his eye for detail needed now more then ever. There was even less time to talk to Kili about it. Or sense, most likely. 

Kili was a civilian.  
Fili had never been anything but a soldier, even after he left.  
The way Kili clung to his presence was most likely a side effect of Fili being his first Anchor, of everything going on, of Fili’s almost thoughtless affections.

Kili accepted and basked in them every time.

But there was doubtlessly a more fitting Anchor for him out there, and while Fili would help for as long as Kili let him, he had no illusions about getting to keep him.

He had _lost_ his first Partner.  
He didn’t deserve a second chance, as much his lonely soul ached for it.

He still accepted the clumsy mental hug sent his way.  
It wouldn’t do to shut Kili out. That would only hurt him.

Instead, he finished the last preparations, everyone who could come in time in position, and turned to Kili, ready to keep his promise.

For the most part, at least.

With Azog normally surrounded by his army of Mediums, jumping between one fortress or another, hitting him on his home turf was suicide.  
Thrandruil hadn’t been wrong, they needed an incentive, something to draw Azog out.  
His former superior had just tried to use the wrong bait.

Fili told Kili about the kill ground they had set up, how Kili’s memories had made it clear that Azog could not come with more than four Mediums at once, that apparently being the limit of his strongest Mediums teleport ability.  
Even that was a lot, Fili only knew of a handful of Mediums that could transport so many at once.  
It was easier, once you had a Medium on each side, able to keep a stable connection between the two places - but that first drop was always tricky.  
One of the Mediums would need roughly five to fifteen seconds of uninterrupted concentration to established a stable connection to their backup, at which point they would be overrun. Mission Failure.

Luckily, they had Suppressors for exactly this reason. They were hard to get, delicate to handle, obvious to any outside Medium, and a pain to set up, which made them all but unusable for most military operations. But they worked like a charm once they were running, cutting off all magic from the area.  
They would take roughly thirty seconds to activate, considering they couldn’t be turned on before the trap was sprung.  
Which meant thirty seconds of distracting both the Mediums and Azog.

It was risky, but it was doable.

Much more so, then trying to keep Kili out of both Azog’s and Thrandruil’s hands.  
It was only a matter of time until either caught up to them. 

Kili was smart, and quickly caught on to their need of a bait for this plan to work. But he didn’t know Fili, not really, not yet, didn’t know all the hidden crooks and crannies in his mind, the kind of knowledge that could only ever come with time.

Kili nodded, face pale, waters rough, but the storm didn’t raise, and neither did Kili’s voice.

He was brave, especially for a civilian.  
Kindhearted, but willing for sacrifice.  
But the one thing he did ask for, quiet but determined, still broke Fili’s heart.

“Just give me something I can...” Kili took a deep breath before starting again. “Don’t let me fall into his hands alive.” Their eyes met, as did their foreheads, hands tangled in hair before they had made the choice.

“You won’t.” Fili whispered, aloud. It was a promise, but the path led too close to things he could not let Kili know, things Kili wouldn’t agree with so easily, Fili feared.

It was both a painful and a joyful thought.

Kili went into the car willingly, knowing that, if things went wrong, Dori would try to bring him out of the danger zone alive - or ensure they wouldn’t be captured. Kili would be up to date the whole time, tether fully open and stronger than ever.

Fili moved into position, and got ready for hell.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important Note:  
> This chapter ends on a really bad cliffhanger, which doesn't get resolved next chapter. 
> 
> I understand that some people _really_ dislike cliffhangers, so for those: The last chapter will go up on Saturday, March 7. Though it should be safe to read again on Friday. 
> 
> For those willing to brace the storm, please remember: this is fully written out and I don't do unhappy endings.

Fili stood in the wide open space, breathing calm and collected.

Everyone was in position.

There weren’t a lot of Anchors that could do what he could. He and his Partner had been called the military’s golden team for a reason after all.

He spread his balance just so, ready to spring into action any second. Closing his eyes, he reached for the sea, for Kili, there and comforting, saw himself standing in the wild, dark waters.  
He hadn’t dared walk into them before, unsure if he would be welcomed or if he would be taking advantage. But Kili drew him in with a fervor, clinging to him as if Fili was a lifeboat. 

Fili waded deeper and deeper, felt Kili do the same in his mind, their thoughts mingling, their emotions meshing, their hearts beating in sync.

He breathed underwater, let it flood through his lungs, through his veins, through his very being-

And unleashed the storm.

The magic was joyous, wild, and chaotic after so long cooped up, eager to take any route to freedom it was given. 

Fili didn’t try to control it, not yet, and instead let it jump around like a wild beast, distorting the air around it.

Only when the portal opened, his five adversaries facing him, did he reign it in, tried to guide it. He didn’t need it to survive, but it would be good to have it anyway.

It was a good thing, for as soon as he considered his foes, tried to determine which of them was the biggest threat in regards to opening a gateway, control was lost to him, shock disrupting the deep tether and waking Kili from the bliss of their connection.

The magic went wild, though not harmless, tearing through two of the attackers like they were tissue paper. Fili didn’t notice, not the magic, not the bullets, not even Azog, face twisted with hate.

He only saw his ghost.

Golden hair, blue eyes, that small, ever confident smile.  
Turning into a grimace, teeth bared like an animal, eyes wild and gone and hunting for the next enemy.

Frerin died.  
Years ago.  
Fili got them both honorably discharged when it became clear that his Partners mind couldn’t keep up with the strain of war anymore, that Frerin was going insane, taking Fili with him step by painful step.

Frerin had committed suicide.  
Had cut him off and-

Fili just barely parried the lance of magic, felt his mind ripple under the attack, memories brought back, a once familiar tether forced back in, ripping gorges through his mind. There was a scream, a fleeting thought of protection, but he couldn't catch it, not when he was fighting on two fronts, trying to defend both his body and his mind.  
Fili was losing, he knew, because as terrifying as ghosts were, this was not one he could fight, could harm.  
Fili had promised to protect Frerin, to keep him stable.  
He had failed.

The anger drowned out everything else, dragon fire through the fortress of his mind, betrayal and pain and blood-lust going hand in hand, burning him from within.

He had tried, he had tried, he had tri-

The inferno left his lungs, cool water rushing through his being, soothing the pain, tearing the monster away.

In front of him, Frerin roared, spittle and blood flying from his mouth. The unexpected water had doused his flames, neutralized his magic, just long enough for the bullets to pass through.

But all Fili felt was pain, burning him alive and stealing the breath from his lungs. He heard the scream, felt the magic pressing, embracing, traveling the physical connection his own addled mind had not yet become fully aware of.

He heard Azog scream, heard the surring of the machines, finally turning on, and felt the dagger leave his chest.

The world was cold, dark, lonely, and gone before he hit the ground.


	7. Chapter 7

The realization came too late. Much too late. How could he have thought that Fili would ever use _him_ as bait?! Fili had promised to protect him, had looked out for him the whole time. Kili should have realized, he should have thought, he should have followed the trails, instead of accepting Fili’s bloody, self-sacrificing privacy!

He stumbled out of the car before he knew it, ignoring Dori’s calls or the ripped open door behind him, mangled beyond recognition. There were more important things needing his attention, like the dragon in their head, turning the world to ash. He fought, protected, let the long sleeping magic flow through his veins and stretch him thin, a barrier between the dragon and jungle, letting it flow over him, through him, coating the burned leaves until the smolder disappeared, the sky once again empty and the dragon gone, as suddenly as it had appeared.

But there was no time for celebration.

One foe slain, another already there, too close, and their chest burned and the magic ripped through them all, screaming in rage and loss and devastation.

And then it was gone.

Kili stumbled, coughing bile and blood, the world around him silent and still, nothing but the distant rattatatt of weapons fire. He ran towards it, until even that cut off.

He kept running.

The blood was everywhere, just corpses on the ground, and Fili face down in the middle of it all.

Kili screamed, pulled him up into his arms, but the connection didn’t restart, no magic surging through his veins and Kili screamed, ordered, and didn’t let go.

At last, the machines cut off and the magic answered his call like a tsunami, all encompassing and impossible to evade. He crashed his forehead to Fili’s, eyes on lifeless blue, and let the wave tear through them both.


	8. Chapter 8

Breathing hurt.

Being hurt.

Why was he hurting?

There was water, rushing, holding, drowning life into him.

He let himself fall, and knew no more.

-

There was a beach.

Water.

Embracing him, holding him, sobbing his name.

The ocean shouldn’t weep for him.

The ocean shouldn’t weep at all.

-

When Fili woke, there was pain, and there was pleasure, both so intricately mixed that he couldn’t tell one from the other.

There were brown eyes, close to his, promises whispered and every one of them meant.

Kili looked at him, embraced him like a drowning man, his presence everywhere, no end, no beginning.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this, a small part of him nagged, and would have kept nagging, if it hadn’t been drowned out by words and thoughts and emotions so beautiful he wept tears of joy.


	9. Chapter 9

The house was beautiful.  
It was also big. Very, very big.  
Too big for that small name, more a mansion, or a villa, maybe a mountain would do.

House Erebor.

Fili had saved the Heir of House Erebor.  
Fili had bonded to the Heir of House Erebor – a tether so deep and intricate that trying to separate into two beings again might just kill them both.  
Or at the least turn them insane, lost.

Kili was the Heir of House Erebor and Fili wanted to scream.

They had talked a lot in the weeks following the battle.  
Fili had survived the impossible – or more precise, Kili had pulled him back from the impossible, so unwilling to let him die, let him leave, that his magic had used the wide open connection between them to knit them both together, life from one flowing into the other.

They couldn’t close the connection now, even if they wanted to; though they had designated safe spaces in their mind, just in case. This was the first time Fili felt he needed them, but his panic was not something he wanted to share.

He had never needed to meet a boyfriends parents before (and hadn’t that been nice, falling into each other, tangling, impossible to hide and welcomed on both sides), much less after he was essentially already married.

More than married, really, marriages could be dissolved.

He didn’t want this dissolved.  
Knew without a doubt that Kili didn’t want that either.  
Kili wanted him, _Fili_ , with a certainty that still took his breath away.

He wanted Kili just as much.  
Wanted to drown in him, breathe him in, embrace him and be embraced for the rest of his life.

There had been speculations if the way they were now connected made it impossible not to love each other, if they were happy because of the magic's pull or some other insane idea that the doctors had, trying to find reasons to study them, see if they could be pulled apart.

They both agreed it was bullshit.  
Yes, it had been fast, but they had both felt the attraction even before they bonded. Kili had already appreciated his protectiveness, his kindness and steadiness, the way they felt when they came together. And Fili had already been amazed by the force of nature Kili was, never giving up, loyal to a fault, and smart as anything, catching on lightning quick.  
Admittedly, he fell in love with Kili’s laughter and easy smiles only later, with his boundless joy and enthusiasm, through hours of conversations and explorations they finally had time for.  
But that didn’t make any of it any lesser, didn’t make their love less real.

Fili felt whole with Kili.

His partner sent him one of said smiles, catching the sentiment and cherishing it, reflecting the ray of love back at him, a thousand tiny droplets glittering in the light.

Fili had never tried to _play_ in the mindspace before, but together they made art.

He left the deepest part of his jungle behind, embracing Kili on the beach that connected them at the same time as their hands found each other. They walked through the gate together.

They had fought for each other before, and they would do it again.  
And they would win, this time, last time, every time.  
Losing each other wasn’t an option.

“My family doesn’t bite, you know?”

Kili’s laugh wrapped around him like a sun kissed blanket, banishing the last of his fears.  
Kili shared pictures and stories and anecdotes of his family, and when they reached the front door Fili felt as if he had known them all his life, like he was coming home. Light with love and hope and a now familiar presence, he stepped through the door, into his new life, content and assured they would live it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing and polishing this story and I’m really proud of how it turned out! My biggest project yet and everything went very well! 
> 
> It was an incredible experience and I had a lot of fun. I have lots of notes and background information for how everything works and fits together and what their future might look like that didn't quite fit into this, but it was really fun world building this story! 
> 
> A big, big, _Thank You_ to all who accompanied me on this journey, who read, kudoed and left me such wonderful comments! I love and adore each and every one of you!


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